Cheaters
by Fist-it-Out
Summary: "Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the one person who you thought would never hurt you." Zed knows first hand that getting cheated on sucks.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I said no new stories until I finish two but…well, no excuse. Enjoy this fam!**

* * *

Hannah Emily Jacobs was quite possibly the best thing that had happened to Zed in years. She was fun and charming and sweet and really pretty. They had met at her job at a little vegan restaurant called Brain Foods. Zed had gone in several times, flirting with her until he finally asked her on a date. And from there, it was magic. A year and two months of pure bliss.

Every Friday, after his last class, he went straight to Brain Foods for lunch. Hannah had told him earlier that she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be working, which meant he didn't have any reason to go since he usually spent his afternoon there with her. But he figured he would be a good boyfriend and pick up some food for her and bring it by her apartment.

Hannah would be really surprised, like she was whenever he decided to do random cute things like that. Should he get the best boyfriend award? Okay there were probably better boyfriends, but the point was there.

Hannah's coworker and friend Jaz was working the register. She smiled an adorable, dimpled smile and took his order. Once the order was in, she moved to the end of the counter and asked him, "I thought Hannah told you she wasn't working today?"

Zed grinned and said, "I'm bringing her lunch."

Jaz's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? I thought she was…"

"Sick? Yeah but who likes being alone when they're stuck in bed?"

"Uh, most people?"

Zed shrugged. The kitchen worker slid his to-go order through the window, and Jaz grabbed it and passed it to him. "Good luck with your visit," she told him.

Zed smiled, taking the food and heading out. He made the walk to her apartment, a couple of blocks away, take the stairs with a spring in his step until he got to her floor. He knocked, then figured she was either asleep or in her room, where she couldn't hear the door. It was fine, since Zed knee she kept her spare key under the plant at the end of the hall.

He went into her apartment, calling out her name. He heard a muffled response from her bedroom as he dropped the food off in the kitchen, peering through her opened door.

His eyes widened in horror at the sight of his girlfriend, naked and in bed with another woman.

"_What the fuck!?_"

Both women froze, the blonde between Hannah's legs turning and giving him a confused look. He was disgusted and embarrassed, and…_furious_. Hannah had the decency to look horrified, pulling the sheet over part of her body and curling up within herself.

"Zed! I-What are you doing here?"

Zed ignored her, instead asking (and shouting) at the blonde woman, "Who the fuck are you and why are you with my girlfriend!"

Her mouth fell open and she stood up, her expression mirroring his. "_Your_ girlfriend? _I'm _dating Hannah! Who the fuck are you?"

They both glared at each other for several more seconds before turning their attention to Hannah, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her face was red and her hair was a mess and he felt more anger and jealousy flare through his veins; _he_ was the only one who should get her like that, not some random bimbo.

"Well Hannah? What's been going on?" the other woman asked. "Who is this guy!"

Hannah cleared her throat, running a hand through her hair to make it look a little more settled. "Addy, this is my boyfriend, Zed. Zed, this is my girlfriend."

His world was already shattering when he walked in on them, but now it was destroyed. His girlfriend—who he had dedicated all his time and energy and _everything _to—had been cheating on him. With a _woman_! It was obvious Hannah didn't care about him or their relationship, like he had thought. God, he felt so stupid!

He needed to get out of there. Get away from her and the situation before he did something he might regret. He wouldn't be like Hannah.

He swallowed thickly, nodding his head. "I'm out of here," he grumbled, turning and storming away. What hurt the most was that she didn't even call out for him to come back.

* * *

Once he was out of the building, he shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way to the bus stop. "Hey!" he heard behind him, but he figured it wasn't for him until the same person called, "Hey! Wait up!"

He turned and saw the blonde woman who had been sleeping with his girlfriend jogging towards him. He clenched his fists in his pockets, the sight of her making him angry. At least she was wearing clothes now. She stopped right in front of him, taking a moment to catch her breath.

Zed gave her an offended look. Wondering how she could have the _audacity_ to approach him, "What do you want from me now? Ruining my life wasn't enough?"

"Don't be mad at me!" she said defensively. "I didn't even know you existed until you-you walked in on us."

He huffed, letting out some of his tension and crossing his arms over his chest. The woman—Hannah had called her 'Addy,' like the drug—sighed, her shoulders going slack. "You're really her boyfriend, huh?" she asked.

Seeing how defeated she was drained him of more of his anger. He let his arms drop to his side and asked, "How long were you guys dating?"

"Sunday was supposed to be our one year anniversary," she explained. "We were gonna drive up and spend the weekend at this really nice lake cabin."

The corner of his mouth turned down in a frown. He couldn't help but feel bad for her, she looked so heartbroken and sad. "I'm sorry," he sympathized. "She's an asshole for doing this to us."

"How long were you guys dating?" Addy asked.

"A year and two months, just a little longer than you," he told her.

Addy hummed, looking down. "I feel so awful." She sniffed, and it took him a second to realize that she was crying, or maybe trying not to cry. "I never thought _I'd_ be the other woman. I'm so sorry, Zed."

"This is bullshit," he grumbled. "She doesn't get to treat us like that."

Addy nodded in agreement, and looked away, avoiding eye contact with Zed. It was silent for a moment and he took the opportunity to fully gauge her. The straps of her simple, pastel dress were haphazardly hanging off her shoulders, and she held her jacket and shoes in her arms, making him believe she got dressed in a rush and ran out to find him. Thinking back on the events from mere minutes before made him blush. Sure, he had just seen her fully naked, but being completely infuriated tends to shift your focus to more important issues. Plus, he didn't care much to look at the body of the woman who just destroyed his relationship.

Though he couldn't forget that she didn't do it on purpose. How could she have known the Hannah was dating him? She had been playing both of them for fools for a year.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize for what happened," Addy said. "I'm gonna…go home. Probably cry for a bit. Eat my weight in ice cream." She shrugged and said, "Normal break up stuff."

Zed sighed, making a spur of the moment decision and pulling out his wallet, fishing out a five and holding it out for her. "Ice cream's on me, okay?"

"Oh you don't have to—"

"It's fine, really," he told her. She eyed it warily, taking the bill from his hands. "It's the least I could do. After everything that happened today."

"Thank you," she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. Her cheeks went red and she glanced down, tugging on the end of her hair. "I'm gonna go ...think, and cry, a lot."

"And eat lots of ice cream," Zed added with a small smile. Addy let out a slight giggle. He was happy he got to make her smile, especially after the crappy day they'd just had. He gave her a slight wave, taking several small steps backwards. "Bye."

She waved, turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction. He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning and walking toward his own apartment. The day had gone from good to awful, to just…odd. He had no idea how he was even feeling about the whole situation, about Hannah or about this girl.

All he knew what that he needed a drink.


	2. Chapter 2

The whole situation hadn't set in until later that night, in the shower, when it was just him and his thoughts. His girlfriend had been cheating on him. She didn't even seem remorseful over the situation, she hadn't even tried to explain herself or chase after him or anything. She just…admitted she was cheating on him, acted like it was nothing, and moved on. Like she didn't even realize why he would be hurt.

The realization was…soul crushing. The next few days were awful. He had spent them at home, with the lights off, watching sappy romance movies, eating ice cream, crying, and feeling sorry for himself. He ignored his phone because every few hours Hannah would call or text him, and the temptation to answer and listen and give her a chance was too much.

After a couple of days, his friends Eliza and Bonzo went to check on him. They brought him a bunch of things to make him feel better: a cauliflower and extra cheese pizza from his favorite restaurant, _Grim Old Pizza_, a giant stuffed bear, cheap beer, and all eight Harry Potter movies.

Zed hadn't even bothered to open the door for them, instead he raised the volume on _Just My Luck_. A minute later, he heard the lock click and his door opening, groaning to himself because of course Bonzo and Eliza knew where he kept his spare key (above the door frame, like in _iCarly_).

Eliza and Bonzo appeared in his entryway. "Hey buddy, we come bearing gifts!" said Eliza, lifting her arms to show him the case of beer and pizza, while Bonzo was holding the giant, cream-colored bear and the movies.

"Hey guys." Zed grunted, looking away from his television, "What're you doing here?"

Bonzo immediately headed towards the couch, taking a seat next to his friend and wrapping his arms around him, before signing, **You don't deserve to go through this alone.**

"And we figured you could use some food therapy." Eliza added, offering him a beer.

"Thanks…" Zed said, his voice hoarse, "I really needed this." He took the can and began drinking from it.

Eliza took the remote from him, pausing the movie. "You don't like rom coms. Why are you watching this?"

Zed pouted a little, his lip quivering. "It was Hannah's favorite movie."

Bonzo hugged his friend sympathetically, while Eliza groaned and switched to his DVR. "He's worse than we thought, Bonzo," she said. "It's a good thing JK Rowling has gifted us with the gem of Harry Potter."

Over the next few hours, the three friends cuddled on the couch, eating pizza and drinking way too many beers. His friends proved to be a good distraction. He wasn't even thinking of Hannah, and how she never really liked fantasy movies like Harry Potter and watched it once because Zed had asked. Or how she would ask him questions and just listen to him talk, even though she was falling asleep because that's what good girlfriends do. Or how she appreciated him and his love for random, sometimes nerdy things, even though she didn't like them herself. And he definitely wasn't thinking about the one time she bought him quality merchandise for his birthday, because she knew how much he loved that kind of stuff.

Maybe he should just call Hannah. Or rather, answer her calls or texts. Give her another chance. They had so many good times together, this was just a bump in the road.

He waited until Eliza and Bonzo dozed off during _The Prisoner of Azkaban_ before sliding out from the couch, heading to his room. His phone was sitting on his bed, with exactly six percent since he hadn't charged or used it in days. He sat on his bed and turned it on to see dozens of notifications, mostly from Hannah. Before he could even click on them, an Instagram notification caught his attention.

_ wants to send you a message_

He frowned at his phone, going straight to Instagram and clicking on her profile. It was a public page, like his, but had only a few pictures, all of them of the woman Hannah had been cheating on him with—Addison. He went back to the request page, reading what she wanted to send him: _This is Zed right?_

The angry side of him wanted to decline and block her. After all, it was her fault! But the more sane side of him reminded the angry side that it wasn't, in fact, her fault, because she had no idea about him and that she herself was cheated on too. So he hit accept.

_[your_boy_young_z]: How you been? You better have gotten a good ice cream flavor. _

The green activity dot appeared within seconds of him sending his message. He watched it read 'seen,' then she started typing.

_[addison_davis]: Cherry Garcia ofc. Any other flavor is a disgrace to humanity._

_[addison_davis]: But really, I feel like a pile of garbage. I've pretty much been laying in bed for the last three days in a puddle of tears and watching crappy romance movies._

He smiled at her responses. Addison was making it very hard for him to hold a grudge against her.

_[your_boy_young_z]: Honestly same. I haven't left my couch in days. Also, I think I've consumed my entire weight in ice cream. Though it wasn't cherry garcia..._

_[ addison_davis]: I guess I can forgive you for that, you're obviously in distress._

_[addison_davis] But I'm really sorry abt all of this. You don't deserve it. It's bullshit_

Zed laid back, holding his phone above him to text her in a more comfortable position.

_[your_boy_young_z]: I just feel really dumb, putting so much time and energy into something while she was with you the whole time_

_[addison_davis]: not the whole time. You had two months of just Hannah. _

_[your_boy_young_z]: What did you end up doing with your plans for your anniversary? _

_[addison_davis]: I went with my cousin. Stayed in bed and ate ice cream. And watched some really crappy romcoms_

_[your_boy_young_z]: did you watch just my luck? I've watched that six times so far_

_[addison_davis]: I watched it twice and then my Netflix privileges got taken away_

_[addison_davis]: My cousin has been babysitting me ever since it's getting on my nerves but I hope you haven't been alone cuz I couldn't imagine going through all this alone_

_[your_boy_young_z]: I mean my friends came around today with food and beer and Harry Potter _

_[your_boy_young_z]: But I feel like the only person who really understands this is you_

As soon as he hit send, his screen went black and his phone died. He shut his eyes and groaned. '_Stupid awful timing, Apple!_' Instead of throwing his phone across the room like he very much wanted to do, he rolled over and fumbled with his broken charger, managing to plug it in. It would take a few minutes before it started back up. He figured it was enough time to eat some more pizza, maybe have another beer.

* * *

Several hours later, Eliza woke up to the sound of the main menu screen of _Prisoner of Azkaban_, and no Zed. Granted, Bonzo was still there, knocked out next to her. She frowned and got up, walking around his place looking for him. She groaned when she found him on the floor of his room, grinning at his phone. She fell asleep _once_ and he was back to talking and texting with Hannah? She was very disappointed in this man.

His eyes shifted to her and he gave her a grin, calling, "Hey Eliza," then returned his attention to his phone.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked.

"Just a friend."

She frowned, resisting the urge to cross her arms. Zed glanced up at her, smiling, and said, "It's not Hannah, relax. I have other friends besides you and Bonzo."

"You really don't though."

He frowned, then shrugged, returning his attention to his phone. Eliza walked over, sitting down beside him and peering over his shoulder. "Who's…_Addison_?" she asked.

He eyed her, carefully thinking over his next words. "The girl," he said slowly, "that Hannah was with."

"You're…you're texting the girl that ruined your relationship?"

"_Hannah_ ruined our relationship," Zed corrected. "Me and Addison were played for fools. Did you know that they went out every Wednesday. You know what I was doing on Wednesdays? I was in a four hour lecture, then I was working for hours so I could afford a Saturday date. While I was busting my ass, she was dating someone else!"

Eliza nodded slowly. "What are you guys talking about then?"

"It's…weird."

"I'm your best friend, I'm used to your weird shit."

Zed hummed. "So first we were just talking about our shitty week and how we've been eating garbage. Then we talked about Hannah. And now, we're talking about Harry Potter."

Eliza nodded, the gears in her brain turning. "She likes Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," Zed chuckled. "Can you believe Hannah dated two Harry Potter dorks? And she didn't even like Harry Potter."

"I never liked Hannah."

"I bet if you knew she was into girls you'd have liked her a whole lot more."

Eliza hummed. Zed typed out a quick response to whatever Addison had sent, then chuckled at what she sent back. "Dude, just tell her to come over," Eliza said. "Talk in person. Watch Harry Potter. Cry together."

"What?"

"This girl has made you smile and laugh, which me and Bonzo have been _trying _to do for hours. I bet that, since you're in the same boat, you can help each other out. Or something."

Zed shrugged. "I'll ask. Will that be cool with you?"

"You're asking my permission to have people in your house?"

"I was asking because you and Bonzo were…wait, nevermind."

"No, tell me, I'm curious."

"I thought you and Bonzo came over to hang out with me and then I realized you both invited yourself into my place." He shook his head, typing on his phone. After several seconds of waiting, he grinned and announced, "She's bringing ice cream! This girl is awesome."

Eliza chuckled, then stood up. "Well I'll clean up a little and we'll get out of your hair," she said. "Let you and Addison comfort each other and shit."

"Later," Zed mumbled, his attention clearly on his phone.

Eliza shook her head, leaving his room. She had an odd feeling about this girl. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't good either. She wouldn't bring it up to Zed, even though her intuition never really failed her.

* * *

Eliza and Bonzo had left and, ten minutes later, Zed was letting Addison into his apartment. At first sight, he flared with anger, remembering that this was the girl who ruined his life. Then he remembered that she had been screwed over too. The girl looked as if she had had a rough few days. He didn't know Addison very well, but he figured that sweatpants and an old looking tee shirt weren't signs of someone who had a good mental health. Add in the frizzy rat's nest that was her hair, and the puffiness of her eyes.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," she said.

She shrugged her shoulders, drawing his attention to the gallons of ice cream in her arms. He stepped to the side, letting her in and saying, "You can put those in the freezer."

"Okay."

Zed went to the couch, grabbing the remote and queueing the first Harry Potter movie. He waited for Addison to join him, sitting cross legged right next to him. She tilted her head up at him and gave him a tired smile.

"Thanks for inviting me over," she said. "I've been hiding in my room all week. It was nice to get out."

"Well, next time we'll have to do this at your place so _I_ can get a taste of the sun," he joked, making her giggle.

He hit play on the movie and they watched in silence, the only sounds were of the awesome soundtrack in Harry Potter and the scrapes of their spoons hitting the bottom of the ice cream cartons. It was all pretty chill, until Addison was startled by the vibrating of her phone. Zed glanced at her, seeing her pull it out of her pocket and frown. She locked her phone and put it to the side, staring back at the screen, her lower lip quivering. She was holding back tears, and Zed knew why.

He paused the movie. "That was Hannah, wasn't it?"

Addison nodded, not turning to look at him. "She keeps trying to contact me and I—I _really_ want to answer."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her. "She's been trying to reach me for days, I feel bad for not answering," Addison explained. "My cousin took away my phone and everything. I—I'm not strong enough to not text her."

Zed was pretty adamant about not texting Hannah so he could avoid getting sucked in her spiral of lies. He'd been hurt once already and he wouldn't be hurt again. But Addison was not him, so he asked, "If you want to text her, why don't you?"

"I'm weak. If I text her, next thing you know I'll be taking her back and living in misery because while I was giving her all my love and attention, she was with _you_." Addison huffed, blowing her hair out of her face. "I just—I haven't felt this way about anyone in so long. I—I haven't been with a girl—with anyone, for that matter—in forever. And Hannah, she just…I need to know _why_…but—"

"Text her," Zed said. "If you want to hear her out, you should. I won't let you get hurt again. I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Zed sat in the booth behind Addison, beanie tucked over his hair and menu blocking his face. He used to go to the restaurant all the time with his friends, until he started dating Hannah and she told him that the owner was a huge dick to her. Out of respect to her, he stopped going there. Little did he know that Addison's older cousin, Bucky, worked there and Addison hung around constantly. Mighty Shrimp Seafood Bar and Grill was where Hannah and Addison had met. And now it was the place where they were meeting after Hannah cheated on Addison.

They were both curious about what Hannah had to say, to each of them. Zed had talked with her on the phone and listened to her explanation of what had happened, how she begged for forgiveness and how he was the only one she ever wanted. Zed denied her, and then spent the next few hours printing old pictures of him and Hannah and cutting them up with Addison. It made them both feel better.

Now, Addison and Hannah were meeting for dinner, which was much more formal than a phone call. Zed didn't mind, it didn't upset him or anything (he was insanely bitter about it).

The bell above the door chimed and Zed glanced around his menu, seeing his ex-girlfriend walking towards them. He forced down his rage, clenching the menu in his hands and watched her from the side of his eye. She took the seat across from Addison.

"Hey Adds."

"Hi Hannah," Addison said, an evenness that was even strange to Zed.

"Did you order without me?"

"I wasn't planning on eating anything. In case I need to leave 'cause of your bullshit."

"Hey…"

"Hannah," Addison said, exasperated. "Just tell me your sob story. Why would you even ask me out when you were already dating Zed?"

"We weren't…dating-dating," Hannah lamely explained. "We had gone out a couple of times, but I didn't know if it would go anywhere. And then I met you and you were just…and I was gonna end things with Zed…"

"_Why would you even date her when we were dating?" Zed had asked. "Two months Hannah. We'd been going out for two months! Why would you date someone else?" _

"_We were friends…at first. She was really nice and funny and I liked being around her. She was like a less sarcastic Eliza." Hannah chuckled while Zed closed his eyes, trying his best not to scream. He was so glad this was happening over the phone and he couldn't act on his rage. _

"Why didn't you end things with him then? It's been a year." Addison asked.

"He was just so-so sweet! I mean, you've seen him. He's like a puppy. Imagine having to put a puppy back up for adoption."

"_Why did you keep dating her? For a year?" _

"_I didn't want to hurt her. I liked her, she really liked me. And I figured I could make both of you happy, instead of hurting you both._"

"So you were just planning on dating us both? Forever?" Addison asked, confused.

"Of course not," Hannah said. "Addy, Baby, I called you because I want a second chance."

Zed scoffed, nearly loud enough for Hannah to hear.

"You're the one I want. I'm done with Zed, I'm done with sneaking around. I promise if you give me another chance, it'll just be us."

Zed's chest burned, his heart breaking, his stomach turning. Even his eyes stung, his rage turning to sadness. That was the same thing she told him, the exact same thing she told him. She didn't care about either of them, all she wanted was someone to screw over. Hannah didn't even care enough to use different words.

"I-I can't believe you," Addison said, her voice quivering. "How could you just-you couldn't even—" She sniffed and Zed dropped his menu, sliding out of his booth and turning to Addison.

Hannah's eyes went wide with surprise but Zed didn't pay her any mind. He went ahead and pulled Addison out of her seat, wrapping his arms around her and letting her bury her head in his chest and cry. He briefly squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back his own tears. There would be time to be sad later; right now he needed to give Hannah the business.

"Zed? What are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

"Oh fuck off," Zed stated. "You-you're awful. Lying to us, and then using the same stupid line on me _and_ Addison?"

"I didn't—"

Addison lifted her head enough to mutter, "Zed, let's go. I don't want to be here anymore."

Zed gave Hannah one final disapproving look, relishing the look of utter shock and failure on her face, then led Addison out of the restaurant.

They stood outside of the restaurant, the October chill seeping into their skin. Addison sighed, slipping away from Zed. In a tired voice, she asked, "Wanna go get shitfaced?"

* * *

Zed woke up the next morning, his head pounding, mouth dry and stomach rumbling. He groaned, opening his eyes and squinting in the dark room. His back ached and he twisted, bumping into the back of the couch he had slept on.

'_Oh fuck_,' he thought, groaning. '_Okay, what happened last night_?'

He clearly had too many drinks and ended up on a couch that wasn't his in a…vaguely familiar apartment. He went out to some bar or club or something with Addison, they had _a lot_ of drinks, danced around more than they should. They definitely got kicked out of wherever they were. Addison's drunken giggle echoed in his head and he couldn't help but smile.

Zed sat up and got off the couch, stumbling toward where he figured the kitchen was. He could smell the coffee fresh on the pot and stopped behind Addison.

"Good morning," Addison mumbled. "Coffee?"

"Yes please."

Addison turned and handed him a coffee mug. "I've got some creamer in the fridge if you want."

"How do you know just what I need?"

"Because you shouted it when you were vomiting last night," Addison said, amused.

"No wonder I'm starving."

Addison laughed. "Breakfast is on the way, if you don't have any plans."

Zed took a long drink from his coffee, savoring the strong scent that helped soothe his pounding head. "I do not, but do you have an Advil?"

"Of course." Addison tossed him the bottle next to the coffee pot.

They stood in the kitchen in silence for a few minutes, drinking coffee in the dark. It was nice.

A loud pounding on the door made them both jump; Addison glared in the direction of the door and said to Zed, "That's our breakfast." She walked past him and to the door. Zed peeked around the wall, watching her open the door and let the delivery guy in.

"What took you so long? I could've been kidnapped!"

"Bucky," she said, exasperated. Zed's eyebrows went up; Bucky was her older cousin, practically her brother, who he'd only ever heard stories about. "I'm very hungover, please don't yell."

"You went drinking without me?" Bucky asked. "Who's supposed to make sure assholes don't take advantage of you?"

Addison groaned, leading him to the kitchen. "I went with my friend, Zed." She gestured vaguely between them. "Zed, Bucky. Bucky, Zed."

Bucky looked Zed up and down, his face twisted with interest and disgust. "Zed? Isn't that the guy Hannah was cheating on you with?"

"Oh my god," Addison groaned. She took the bags from her cousin and took them to the counter. "Bucky, be nice. He paid last night."

"I did?"

Addison gave him a sweet smile. "You paid for drinks. I got us breakfast. We're even."

"Drinks are way more expensive than breakfast," Zed protested.

Addison ignored him and Zed pouted, leaning back against the wall. Bucky stepped in front of him, scrutinizing his face. "He's got a nice face," Bucky commented. "Good body. Does he swing?"

Zed furrowed his brows, confused. "I dunno," Addison said as she unpacked the food. She turned around, tilting her head at Zed. "Ever been with a man?"

"What? No!" Bucky and Addison jumped in surprise and Zed quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with being gay! I love gay! My best friend is gay!"

"Zed, stop embarrassing yourself," Addison said, chuckling at the redness to his cheeks. "There's nothing wrong with being straight, those are your preferences. I mean, Bucky's all for guys, I like whatever. Don't feel bad."

Zed laughed nervously. "Yeah, okay."

"A real shame," Bucky said. "Such a pretty face. Eh, you're probably an asshole. I mean, you dated Hannah."

"So did I."

"Take the hint, Addison."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to flirt with Zed. You've insulted him like three times today."

Bucky grabbed Zed's face and pulled him down to his level. Zed's eyes went wide as he stared right into Bucky's eyes. Bucky shook his head, disappointed. "Why can't you be a little bit gay?"

"Bucky!" Addison shouted.

* * *

Zed walked around the counter, sneaking into the back where Eliza was on her lunch break. He plopped down at her table, opening her food toward him. "Dude! Where's your lunch?"

"Here, wanna trade?"

"No!"

Zed shrugged, swapping their plates. Eliza glared at him, but helped herself to his lunch. She took a bit and nearly spat it back out, giving Zed an accusatory look. "What the hell is this?"

"Shrimp and cauliflower, Addison and I had it for dinner last night. I was gonna have the leftovers."

"It's disgusting," Eliza said.

Zed shrugged, shoveling another spoonful of rice into his mouth. Eliza watched him carefully, her eyebrows raised in confusion. Zed swallowed and asked, "What?"

"You had dinner with Addison again?"

"Yeah."

"That's the third time this week. Not to mention the four weeks you guys spent destroying all things Hannah."

Zed shrugged. "She's nice time be around."

"You're with her all the time. I could understand the first few weeks, 'cause you were comforting each other or some shit. But it's been three months."

"What are you getting at, Eliza?"

Eliza shrugged innocently, stabbing her lunch with her fork. Zed watched as she took a couple of bites and even had a lo but drink from her bottle. "Knowing you, I'm sure you've caught feelings."

Zed reared, completely shocked. He wasn't interested in Addison! She was just his friend, who was really nice and funny and incredibly to be around. Yeah, she was pretty—no, she was gorgeous—but that wasn't important.

"I'm not—I—where would you even get that idea from?"

Eliza shrugged. "Just observing. But if you say you aren't crushing—"

"It's not a crush, I just like hanging out with her. I like hanging out with you!"

"I'm a lesbian. Addison, as you said 'likes whatever.' I'm assuming that includes guys like you." Eliza took a drink from her bottle, then continued. "And you hang out with her all the time. I mean, she's hot as hell. And very nice. I have nothing against you two being together. You just need to realize it."

"She's my friend, that's it," Zed said.

Eliza nodded. "Of course. Whatever you say."

* * *

Eliza was right, and Zed had no idea until he caught himself staring.

Addison had invited him to a pool party her cousin was hosting. They were walking along the poolside, talking and laughing. Well, Addison was talking, Zed was laughing. About her bikini, actually. Zed was teasing her for the pink bow connecting the breast cups, which matched with the pink bows on either side of her hips.

"It's not that funny, Zed," she complained. "I thought it was cute when I bought it."

"They're so…girly!" he laughed.

Addison pouted, folding her arms. "Bucky thinks their cute too," she grumbled.

"Bucky is your gay cousin," he pointed out.

She glared, then smirked. "So what? As my only straight guy friend, you don't think they're cute?" she teased.

"Oh no, they're adorable," he said with a grin. He leaned down and added, "Let's me know where to pull to reveal the goodies."

Addison gasped, her hands shooting out and shoving him, hard. Whenever they would joke around like that, whoever was the butt of the joke always got a free pass to attack, but it had slipped both their minds hoe close the were to the pool. The next instant, Zed was flailing into the water, a surprised shriek coming from his mouth. He hit the water hard, the chlorine stinging his eyes and water burning its way through his nose and mouth. He turned under water, his feet instantly hitting the bottom and he emerged. Addison was standing above him, hand covering her mouth, shoulders shaking with the force of her laughter.

It was like time slowed down.

The sun shined through her golden locks, casting a beautiful halo around her. Her eyes shone with delight, her nose scrunched in the most adorable way. It was like his heart stopped, yet pounded at full volume in his ears. Addison was so happy and carefree and she was so incredibly beautiful.

Like a movie, his mind flashed to all the times she laughed at his corny jokes, or did silly dances around their kitchens. When they burned the cookies and nearly had to call the fire department, and spent the entire afternoon getting the smell of fire out of her apartment, and how he had rubbed smears of soot off her cheek and she gave him a goofy grin in appreciation. When she would fall asleep on his shoulder when they were binge watching Netflix shows or watching movies. The way she would throw her hands around when she got really excited. The day she found out he learned to play guitar when he was a teenager and had him play for her, and how she would ask him to play whenever she was down.

His chest burned because he was in love.

Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

Zed wasn't proud of how he dealt with the realization. After the pool party, he had a meltdown over the phone with Eliza. Whatever advice Eliza gave him went in one ear and out the other. He muted Addison's number, afraid that, if he replied to her texts, he would be weird. He couldn't tell her he liked her, they had both broken up with the same girl. Dating each other would be weird. Plus, Addison was one of his best friends. He didn't want to lose her because of his stupid feelings. He figured a few days to clear his head would be a good idea.

He was very, very wrong.

The first morning, he checked their chat out of habit. He replied to her good morning, deleting and retyping his simple 'morning' plus an emoji everytime. Why was it so hard to pick the right one? He had to send an emoji if he was trying to play it cool. But all the ones he tried seemed too desperate. When he sent an emojiless text, he saw her send several question marks. He told her he felt a cold coming on, then shut off his phone.

He was a _bad_ liar. And incredibly weak. He spent more time than usual on his phone, seeing the number of text messages going up and knowing they were all from Addison. She would send him posts on Instagram, which he would ignore too. At the end of the day, he went in and read her messages. He told her he was still sick, and that his phone was giving him headaches.

Why did everything suddenly get so complicated?

One minute, they were joking around and shoving each other. And the next, he couldn't even look at her without his heart pounding like it might explode, and an overwhelming sensation of wanting to kiss her taking over.

He wasn't too proud of the fact that he stayed up until four in the morning, scrolling through all the pictures of her on his phone. It took him so long to even realize his feelings and now they were the only thing he thought about. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like they could date. She was the other woman! He shouldn't even be friends with her, let alone crushing on her.

The next day, when Zed met up with Eliza and Bonzo on their lunch breaks, he casually brought up the issue. Meaning he pouted at the table until Bonzo asked him what was wrong.

"What's wrong? What's wrong! I-I think I'm in love with Addison and I have no idea what to do." He replied.

Bonzo and Eliza shared a look. "I'm sorry, you're in love with her?"

Zed nodded. "It's so bad, what do I do?"

"You can't be in love with someone you've never dated," Eliza stated. "That doesn't make sense!"

"It's—I don't know." Zed sighed. "I've never felt this way before, and—fuck, it hurts. I stayed up all night looking at pictures of her."

"Ew, that's creepy."

"Eliza," Zed groaned. "What am I supposed to do? It's not like I can tell her."

Bonzo furrowed his brows. **Why not?**

"We both got dumped by Hannah. Er, we both dumped Hannah. Like, four months ago. I'm sure she doesn't want to be in another relationship, and especially not with me." Zed groaned, pushing his food away. The anxiety of the whole situation put a damper on his hunger. "Now I can't even be friends with her."

"Dude what? You guys were best friends for months? You think a little crush is gonna ruin that?"

"Eliza," Zed said, lifting his head. "It's-its more than a crush. Every time I think of her, my heart goes crazy and my stomach aches and I want to kiss her and cuddle and just—I want to be with her. I wanna make her laugh and smile all the time because she's so beautiful when she smiles. I wanna go on long drives to nowhere just to spend time with her. I don't even have a car!"

Eliza snorted and Zed shot her a glare. "Eliza, this is serious."

"How have you dealt with it so far?"

"I...uh...I told her I was sick. But I can only be sick for so long!"

"Listen Zed," Eliza said. "You can't end your friendship because of a crush."

"I can't even text her, how am I supposed to hang out with her?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Zed fished his phone out, showing Eliza and Bonzo his text chat with Addison. "Everytime I try to reply, I act so weird and awkward and pushy."

Eliza and Bonzo scrolled through, wincing every few seconds. "This is so terribly awkward," she said. "I don't know how you got a girlfriend."

* * *

Eleven days. That's how long before Addison made a big deal about it. He was at home, on his day off, making dinner, until insistent knocking drew him from his pasta and to the door. "Coming, I'm coming," he grumbled, dusting his hands on his tee shirt then unlocking the door. "May I—Addison?" His eyes went wide. She had offered to nurse him back to health for days but he kept denying her requests.

She smiled. "Hi! I figured I'd stop by and bring you some soup. Bucky used to make it with my mom when I was little and it always made me feel better, so I thought you'd like some." She paused, her smile faltering, her eyes looking him over. "I…You don't seem sick."

"Uh…" _Shit, shit, shit_. "I've been feeling a little better."

She slowly nodded, her shoulders falling and eyes dropping. "You're avoiding me, haven't you?" she muttered. "I—I get it. This was too much, yeah."

She nodded, dejected. Zed's chest tightened; this wasn't how this was supposed to go, he was going to be ready to see her and now—everything was going wrong, so wrong.

"The soup is pretty good even though you're not sick," she said. "Take it, I don't need it."

"Addison—"

She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide and shining. Zed's heart cracked. He hadn't meant to make her cry, she wasn't supposed to cry.

"I love you," he blurted out. Her jaw dropped in response, eyebrows raising. "And it freaks me out and I don't even know how to be normal around you because I love you so much. Please don't be mad."

"You…you love me?"

Zed nodded, afraid he might actually vomit. But, he was a little proud of himself for being honest. Except Addison looked like she had seen a ghost.

"I-I…This is…it's too much. I gotta-I gotta go." She thrust the pot into his arms, then rushed away.

Zed squeezed his eyes shut. It was his worst nightmare come to life.

He woke with a start, panting and sweaty and—"_Fuck!_" he shouted. It was a dream, a terrible, completely shitty dream.

It was still the middle of the night, but he wasn't going back to sleep. Not after that nightmare. One thing was for sure though, he needed to talk to Addison. This was eating him up inside, and he couldn't stop feeling guilty for avoiding her. He'd tell her the truth, even if it meant losing her.

_**Zed; Do you wanna come over tomorrow? Pizza and movies?**_

* * *

The work day dragged on, Zed helping boring customers with their technical problems, mostly sending them to the Genius Bar and out of his face. His shift was over at four and he could not wait, nearly running several red lights on the way home. Anxiety bubbled within him. A good majority of him wanted to cancel his plans with Addison, lie and say he was feeling under the weather. But the smaller, braver part of him won out. He ordered pizza and waited until Addison showed up a little before seven.

He opened the door and she smiled at him, sending his heart into overdrive. This was a terrible, no good idea. Maybe he could vomit and get her to go home. His stomach was already turning.

"Hey, you look very healthy—" she commented.

"I love you," he blurted. She reared back in shock and he mentally slapped himself. Zero control, really. Stupid stupid stupid!

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"I-I have these really intense feelings toward you that feel like love which is crazy since we never even dated and I'm sure you don't like me back and I've been avoiding you because I can't handle being around you and trying not to kiss you and I—I really really like you." He breathed. He was actually a little lighter after it all. And as long as he didn't look at Addison, it was all good.

Then she laughed and his head whipped to see her. She thought this was all…funny? Then she did something even more surprising: she pulled him down and kissed him. On the lips, arms wrapped around his neck, the whole shebang. Zed squeaked in surprise. He barely recovered, pinching his eyes shut and kissing her back for only a second before she pulled away from him.

Her eyes shone with amusement and…and softness. He really didn't understand woman. Why was she laughing and kissing him? "Zed, you're such an idiot," she said wistfully.

"What?"

"Can I come inside? Since you're clearly lost."

Zed nodded numbly, letting her walk in and shutting the door behind her. He followed her to the couch, sitting beside her, a decent space between them. Addison looked at it and rolled her eyes, scooting closer until their thighs touched. "You seriously don't remember?" Addison asked.

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Zed, do you remember the day we confronted Hannah and she tried to use the same shit words on me she did on you?" Zed nodded. "We went out and got very drunk. And then we made out a bit at the bar."

"We did what?"

Addison chuckled. "I didn't think you were so drunk you didn't remember," she admitted. "We got kicked out of the bar. And then we were walking home, and talking. And we both agreed that, after everything with Hannah, we shouldn't be each other's rebounds. Just take time, hang out as friends, see if these feelings were real or just spite feelings. You seriously don't remember?"

Now that she was explaining it all to him, the events were starting to come back to him. They were just vague flashes from that night, but they were there.

"Kinda, I think," he said. "So…I was being stupid for being so freaked out?"

"Yes."

"And…you like me too?"

"I thought I made that pretty clear."

Zed smiled. "Do you wanna date me? Or, do you need more time?"

Addison laughed. She tilted her head up and pecked his lips. "I would be honored to date you, Zed."

Zed grinned, breathing in relief. "Can I kiss you again?"

Addison giggled and kissed him, lazy and sweet.

* * *

Ten minutes into the movie, and Zed leaned over and whispered to Addison, "You like me? Like, like me like me?"

"What are you, twelve?"

Zed pouted and Addison giggled. "Yes Zed, I like you like you."

"Since when?"

Addison shrugged. "I dunno, I just do. I can't explain it. Can we watch the movie now?"

"Is this…are you considering this a date?"

"No. This is us hanging out," Addison said. "Unless you want it to be a date."

"I kind of do," Zed said. "It's very…us."

Addison smiled, shaking lightly with laughter. "It is, isn't it?" she agreed. She picked up her soda and held it to him. "Cheers to our first date."

Zed grinned, grabbing his drink and knocking his cup against hers. "To our first date."


	5. Chapter 5

Hannah Emily Jacobs woke up on a sunny Tuesday in May to two new emails. It was odd, considering it wasn't often she got emails so early in the morning. What was even more strange was that they were from Zed Necrodopolus and Addison Smith, respectively, her exes. Part of her wanted to delete the messages, forget them and move on like they had both moved on after her. Her curiosity got the best of her, drawn in by the similar previews that read, '_Hey Hannah, I hope you're doing well! I just wanted to tell you a few things…_' She opened Addison's first.

_Hey Hannah, _

_I hope you're doing well! I just wanted to tell you a few things that I didn't get a chance to say three years ago. _

_When I first found out you were cheating on me, I was devastated. At first, I thought I would never move on, and like I couldn't forgive you. You put me in a dark place, one I never thought I'd get out of. But you also gave me the opportunity to meet the most amazing man in the world. _

_In a funny way, I'm kind of glad you cheated on me. Because I got to meet Zed, and I fell in love. We'd both been hurt by you, we healed together, and we found love in each other. Now that I've been with Zed, I realized that everything happens for a reason, and you were the thing that brought me and the love of my life together._

_I truly hope you're doing well in life. And if you're not, I hope things get better. We may not be close anymore, but if anything is ever wrong, you could always come and talk to me. I'll always be your friend. _

_In the spirit of friendship, Zed and I would like to extend an invitation to our wedding to you. If you'd like to come, just email one of us back and we'll send you the information. If you don't, you don't have to say anything. In fact, you could completely ignore this email and move on with your life. _

_Peace, _

_Addison_

"What the actual fuck?"

Zed's email was pretty much the same, a little less friendly but the message still came across. She just couldn't understand how they even got together. Well she knew how, but still. A relationship founded on cheating didn't seem like it was a good one. And there was no way she was going to that wedding.

* * *

Addison giggled, squirming in Zed's arms as he planted sweet kisses along her still warm skin. It was nearly seven fifteen in the morning and they had an eight thirty appointment with the wedding planner and their parents. They were getting very close to being late. They had both woken up a little earlier than usual to send out

"Zed…we have to go shower," she protested. "Breakfast meeting?"

"I know you don't care about being on time," he mumbled in her ear.

She didn't, but she also didn't want to give him the satisfaction of keeping her in bed and away from their very important wedding planning meeting, with the people who were paying for their wedding, nonetheless.

"We can't stay in bed and have sex _and_ share the shower," she told him. "It's one or the other."

"You weren't saying that fifteen minutes ago."

And really, who was Addison to argue with him.

* * *

Zed stood with his arms around Addison, his wife, bidding farewell to the last of their guests…who hadn't offered to help clean the venue. The majority of the center pieces had been taken as favors, so most of what was left was just stuff they belonged to the venue. Their parents were still doing a final sweep of the venue for leftover jackets or bags or anything else they might need to take.

Missy, Addison's mother, came up to them, a smile on her face and a box in her hands. "We'll handle things down here," she told them. "Take anything extra back to our place. Here's your dinner and some cake, go up and enjoy your first night as a married couple!"

Addison gave her mom a tired smile, taking the food from her. "Thanks Mom."

Missy smiled wider, giving her daughter and new son-in-law and hug. "Let me know when you guys leave tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Addison said, pulling away from her. "Bye."

They took the elevator to their room, not saying a word, only sharing shy and nervous smiled every few minutes. Once they were in their room, Addison put the food on the counter and flopped onto the bed, groaning. "I hate being social sometimes," she complained.

Zed laughed. He went around and sat on the other side of the bed, starting to undress, either for sleep or for consummation. He didn't mind which one it ended up being.

Addison propped up on an elbow, watching him, eyes curious and intent. She had something to say, but she wasn't going to say it if he didn't pull it out of her. Which literally meant asking what was on her mind.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," she said. "I just…love you. A lot. I'm really happy that we met."

Zed chuckled at the thought of how they'd met. It wasn't a happy day, but now they both couldn't stop looking back at it and laughing. "I am too," he told her. "But I'm more happy I get to call you Mrs. Necrodopolus."

Addison laughed, falling back against the bed. "Oh my god, that's such a drastic change. My name was _so basic_."

Zed pulled off his tie, tossing it to the floor and getting to work on the buttons of his shirt. Addison sat up and pouted. "Stop. I wanna do that."

"Wanna do what?"

"I wanna undress you," she said. "And love you. And do nothing but eat, drink, sleep, and screw. For the next two weeks."

Zed chuckled. Addison crawled across the bed and he snaked his arms around the waist of her white ball gown, pulling her into his lap.

"I love you, Mrs. Necrodopolus," he told her, nuzzling her cheek.

Addison hummed, turning and pecking his lips. "And I love you, Mr. Necrodopolus."


End file.
